Conquest of Evil - The Minion of Darkness - State of Flux
by Shadow Ranger
Summary: That moment between existence and extinction.
1. Brink of Destruction

Disclaimer: _Saban owns the Power Rangers, Masked Rider, Beetleborgs, VR Troopers and probably a large number of other things as well. I am using their characters without permission and for no profit whatsoever. Ellen Brand owns Chelsea and Teddy Oliver and I thank her again for letting me use them occasionally. The Doctor, Master, TARDIS, UNIT and Validium are all creations of Terry Nation and appeared in the BBC series Doctor Who. North Valley comes from the series Super Human Samurai Cyber Squad. Queen of the Crown was the villain from Galaxy Rangers and is owned by Saban. Madarin is owned by Marvel and Golobulus belongs to whoever created Action Force the Movie._

___**Authors Note **__: Anything written like ~this~ is a thought, anything like -this- is a conversation Sam is eaves dropping on, "this" is a computer message and anything appearing like *this* is a mental telepathic message._

_When a replica is mentioned or being addressed there is emphasis placed on one of the vowels in their name. So Billy is called Biilly, etc. Also when morphed Trey is split he is referred to as Gold Zeo I, Gold Zeo II and Gold Zeo III. Morphed Gem Coin Rangers are referred to as Zeo -ninja power-. So Tommy is Zeo Falcon. When Drew, Roland and Jo are Beetleborgs they are referred to as Blue, Green and Red Borg._

_**Timeline **__: The events in the Masked Rider, VR Troopers and Beetleborgs have taken place earlier than they would have in the television series. For further details see the Timeline._

_At the time this story takes place, Dex has already received the Super Gold and Super Blue powers, VR Troopers is near the end of last series and Beetleborgs would be about to become Metallix._

_All times given are based on Angel Grove time. Time for the Rangers on the quest for new powers will be different._

_This story is an alternate version of the Conquest of Evil series. In this place events start after the end of Zeo and before the Turbo movie. I hope that's everything! If this disclaimer gets any longer I'm going to have to submit it as a separate fanfic. _

Brink of Destruction

Another plane of existence,

Moments ago

"Why Minion, how surprising to find you here." Minion looked up at the amused face of of a dark robed individual with blonde hair.

"You saved me?" Minion asked weakly. His magic was exhausted, his shields diminished and if the smell of scorched flesh meant anything, then his body was roasting in the hot lava pool where he had landed. True there hadn't been much left of him by the time he had been thrown there, the wave of lava had been about to envelop him at the moment this stranger's intervention had snatched his consciousness to this alternate plane.

Dagsyxx shook his head slowly. He had the form of a sad looking old man, but when he spoke, he knew Minion would recognise his voice. "You failed Minion. Your efforts were entertaining to watch, your pitiful resistance was amusing for a while, but alas it is the results that matter. Dagsyxx does not forgive failure and he does not suffer fools that believe they can rise above their rightful place. Your services are no longer required; another has been chosen to take your place."

The old man flashed Minion a toothy grin as the scene changed to that of the molten river when Minion had been moments before.

"You would have made a good servant, Minion," Dagsyxx told him as the lava set the clone's body on fire. "Such a shame you didn't know your place. Enjoy the Dark Dimension; you're the one that made it so... cosy."

When he finished speaking the lava swallowed Minion into its superheated depths. Dagsyxx looked on, pleased that while he would not win the Earth this time, he had at least crushed the defiant clone's will. He could hear the clone's cries of agony echoing from beyond, the single yell turning into a chorus of screams. A smile crossed his lips. It seemed that in his final moments Minion would prove more interesting than he had believed.

* * *

Existence was lost. The Power Rangers and their allies had tried to reverse the damage caused by the villainous Minion, but their attempt had seemingly failed, the damage had been too severe and in eradicating the darkness that had threatened to consume everything they had accelerated the process to the point where the end was inevitable.

Now in the darkness very little survived. The wave of destruction Minion had unleashed had wiped out almost everything in an instant. What remained had been damaged beyond hope of recovery. The many planes of reality were contracting, the realms had either merged or vanished, dimensions had collapsed as alternate timelines had resolved themselves and unravelled. The finite realities that had survived the initial devastation were dying, the stars slowing fading as they shrank inward. It was a process that could take hours, weeks or maybe even months, but eventually all would be lost.

And yet despite the inevitable outcome there was the tiniest hope that remained. For as the slate had been wiped clean, something had revealed beneath the surface. It lacked the complexity of what had been there before, a mishmash of all that had survived. Created by the remnants of the Great Power unleashed at the moment of destruction, it was constantly shifting in form as the Great Power prevented it from disappearing.

And within that tiny universe lay the key to rebuild all that had been lost. For those that could find the means to unlock a miracle awaited. But to obtain that power they would need to protect a fragile world from those that would use its power for their own purposes.

For just as existence had found a way to survie, so had Minion. Just as reality had been sustained by a miraculous turn of events, so he had achieved the impossible. At the moment that existence had ended his soul had shattered, something that was impossible given his nature as the incorporation of every possible variation of the evil Blue Ranger created by Rita and Lord Zedd. He had been a perfect and irreversible merger of an infinite number of incarnations from across the multiverse. His acquisition of the power within the Dark Dimension should have made it impossible for his soul to be divided.

His continued survival somehow allowed the Great Power to maintain a slither of the old reality. As each second passed, the energy built, awaiting those with the knowledge, the will and the heart to once more ignite the flame before it was too late. For a new darkness had emerged and if it triumphed, all would be lost.

**The End or the Beginning? **


	2. Conclusion: The Rebirth

Disclaimer: All shows referenced in this nonprofit fanfic belong to their respective copyright owners. Parts of this story were borrowed from Jeremy Ray Logsdon's Earth Crystals.

Author's note: This is the final part of the Minion of Darkness storyline and marks the return of the universe to normal.

The Rebirth

It was over. Despite everything he had tried the reformed Minion had fallen. And with his ultimate defeat, the ultimate power had been unlocked. A shockwave had reached out from the devastated world, spreading through the void of space, restoring the stars in the sky as reality was reborn. Beyond the limits of a single universe the power grew and spread, rekindling all that had been lost.

It had long been theorised that the Earth was a nexus of probability and it was in this role that it guided the unimaginable power. Across countless realities the untold actions of an infinite number of Minions played out. Rise and fall, victory and defeat over and over again as the planet judged which realities would survive and those that were lost. Imagination stretched to the limit, the rules of logic broken to accommodate bizarre outcomes and all for nothing. When the tally was counted Minion had not recorded a single victory. Aside from a single instance where he had survived and then departed, he had lost every encounter with the Power Rangers. Past, present or future it made no difference, the Evil Blue Ranger was doomed to be defeated every time.

And since Minion could never succeed it meant that the restoration of the multiverse was guaranteed. And when enough of those possibilities had played out, the indivisible nature of his soul had reasserted itself and the many Minions were dragged back to the Dark Dimension where they merged into their composite form as the final moments of his battle with the Power Rangers played out to its completion as the light from the Great Power was overwhelmed for an instant before burning the darkness away and restored existence to its former glory.

* * *

Another place and time

"...And now, at long last, the battle is over, and the Power Rangers have emerged victorious. Minion has been defeated and reality has been saved from destruction. This test has run its course and the final experiment is concluded. All results have been tallied and the outcome decided: Minion has lost."

He was called The Watcher. Due to his higher nature nothing was hidden from his view; he saw everything. Long ago he and his brothers had been set a task: to watch over a multiverse that had formed at a key point in history where the fate of existence itself had been in the balance.

They had been charged to observe the countless scenarios regarding the being known as Minion, seeking an instance where some change in his character, history or actions could have brought him victory.

And as the Power Rangers looked on and Minion crumbled to the ground, the Watcher made a tick indicating that in this scenario, Minion had failed once again.

For existence the outcome was a fantastic result. For had there been a single circumstance in which Minion could have triumphed, existence would have ended. But now the results had been collated and Minion's shattered soul had been reassembled and dispatched to a place of eternal suffering, the conclusion was clear that Minion had been and would always be the loser. And with that answer known, the multiverse that had been created for the purpose of testing his worth was no longer required.

This was the last scenario to play out. It had taken longer than the others because Minion had disappeared for a long time. In his absence the reality had been visited by outsiders, misused as a prison and even loaned its heroes to a great quest. And for a while, The Watcher had considered whether the scenario had been recorded wrongly and he was meant to explore the possibility of Minion's triumph in a reality where he simply disappeared.

But then Minion had returned, brimming with dark powers and malicious intent. Minion had attacked the Earth one more time and had been met by the full strength of its defenders. Overconfident about his new strength he had battled on beyond the point where he should have retreated and had paid for it with his life.

There had been no plan on Minion's part, he had just shown up and demanded a battle. The Power Rangers had obliged. Minion had fallen. It was more complicated than that, but the Watcher's report would keep to the key facts of the matter and not worry about the details.

He took a final look at the reality where he had spent eons watching over events for the first sign of Minion. This reality had lasted longer than he had expected and had stretched far into the future. But its purpose had been served and like so many other concluded experiments, it was time for it to dispose of the remains.

"Let there be an end!" he intoned, calling back the power that had sustained the reality for so long. It was borrowed energy just as the matter that had been used to create the reality had been borrowed from the original reality. With its purpose served both matter and energy would be returned to their source.

But as he watched the universe crumble, he felt a moment of sadness. This reality had survived more than just Minion. It had been hijacked and misused by others. It had been corrupted and for a time it had been diverted away from its purpose. He had grown to admire the beings that had lived there and their heroic natures.

Would they prove him wrong and somehow survive beyond the point of death? Already their worlds crumbled as they were cut off from the power that sustained them. Would they find a solution? Was there even a solution?

He didn't know for sure. There was the possibility that they could escape their fate, but he doubted it.

In the end it didn't matter for their story had been told and the results had been recorded: The last splinter of Minion had been destroyed and now all that was left was for everything to fade to black.

* * *

Dagsyxx listened as the screams of what sounded like many Minions merged into an agonised bellow before fading. Satisfied that the former servant was gone, he turned from the lava pit and walked back into the darkness, plotting his next move.

**The End **


End file.
